plate no. 7714

Chinese Vegetables

oilContemporary Realismstill lifevegetablesstill lifeeggplantbok choycucumbertable

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve subtle variations and in rendering form through careful observation of light and shadow. It's a good exercise in capturing the textures of different vegetables.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Lightly sketch the outlines of the vegetables and the table edge, paying attention to their relative sizes and positions.
step 02
Block in the background color with a thin wash of burnt sienna and raw umber.
step 03
Establish the basic shapes and values of each vegetable with broad strokes.
step 04
Begin refining the colors and values of the eggplants, using a mix of purple, red, and brown.
step 05
Work on the cucumbers, blending greens and yellows to create their mottled appearance.
step 06
Focus on the bok choy, layering greens and whites to capture the texture of the leaves.
step 07
Add highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 08
Refine the details and adjust the colors as needed to match the original painting.

color palette

primary · burnt sienna · raw umber · purple · green

secondary · titanium white · yellow ochre · cadmium red

Achieve the eggplant color by mixing purple with red and a touch of brown. The greens are created by mixing yellow and blue with white to lighten. The background is a mix of burnt sienna and raw umber, lightened with white.

techniques

·color mixing
·blending
·layering
·scumbling
·observational drawing

common pitfalls

→Overworking the details too early.
→Not paying close enough attention to the subtle color variations.
→Failing to capture the texture of the vegetables.
→Using colors straight from the tube without mixing.

materials

surface · stretched canvas

required

·stretched canvas
·oil paints (burnt sienna, raw umber, purple, green, titanium white, yellow ochre, cadmium red)
·palette
·palette knife
·assorted brushes (round and flat)
·linseed oil
·turpentine or odorless mineral spirits
·rags